I've had the feeling for a while that DEC 2006 was going to be significantly better than previous DECs. The Master's Tracks addresses the needs of the true AD gearheads while the main tracks maintain sessions for more mainstream attendees. MIIS is being more widely deployed, so the MIIS tracks have a lot greater appeal. We've expanded the networking opportunities. And we've got a bunch of great speakers and topics, as usual.
As much as I loved Vancouver last year, I think the venue (Las Vegas) will appeal to more people too. Las Vegas is really easy to get to, with direct flights from nearly everywhere in the US. Of course, getting your manager to sign off on a trip to Vegas has its own challenges
Note to attendees: when you fill out the travel request, be sure to note that the conference is actually in Henderson, NV. Henderson is a sleepy little town with a dirt road and a corral and absolutely no casinos or gambling or shows. As far as you know.
So today Christine told me we were over 100 registrations. That may not seem like a lot, but let me put it in perspective. Last year's total DEC attendence was somewhere around 320. And at T-minus 60 (60 days before the conference), our registration count was around 10. So we're running at something like ten times the registration rate we had last year!
If you're thinking about going to DEC this year (and who wouldn't?... all the cool identity people are doing it.) you'd better register soon. There's a real chance we will run out of hotel rooms and you'lll end up staying at the Motel 6 down the road.
And yes the infamous DEC chicken will be there. Check out the Mighty Chicken's Scream.